Clive Barker

In 1990, horror novelist Clive Barker released “Nightbreed,” his second feature film as a writer-director. The follow-up to his provocative 1987 study in sadomasochism, “Hellraiser,” “Nightbreed” arrived as an adaptation of Barker’s novella “Cabal” and posited a world in which monsters had been driven to an underground sanctuary called Midian. The city begins to haunt the dreams of a Canadian man named Aaron Boone (Craig Sheffer), who is under the psychiatric care of one Philip Decker (David Cronenberg), a therapist with questionable motives and dark secrets of his own. The movie, which featured artistic contributions from the likes of Ralph McQuarrie and Danny Elfman, opened to middling reviews. Writing for The Times, critic Michael Wilmington observed that there was a “thick, clunky quality” to the film with “remarkable moments scattered throughout — wild nightmare visions and a tingling sound track […]

Ever wonder what Clive Barker’s legendary horror series “Books of Blood” might sound like? As announced earlier this year, the celebrated collection of stories that established Barker as one of the masters of horror will be getting a release on the Madefire Motion Books platform, the interactive digital comic book company that incorporates music, sound effects and panoramic views into the reading experience. Now, Madefire has announced that composer Cris Velasco will be creating the soundtrack for the digital version of the stories. The “Books of Blood” series, originally published as six separate books in the mid-’80s, inspired Stephen King to tout Barker as the “future of horror,” and launched the author’s and filmmaker’s illustrious career. FULL COVERAGE: Comic-Con 2014 Best known for scoring video games such as “Darksiders,” “God of War” and “Mass Effect,” Velasco is no stranger to […]

Clive Barker has announced his intention to write a new script for a remake of “Hellraiser,” his 1987 directorial debut. The respected horror author and filmmaker made the announcement about his plans to revisit the S/M-inflected tale in a post on his Facebook page, saying that he not only would pen the new screenplay but that he had secured an agreement from distributor Weinstein Co. for actor Doug Bradley to reprise his role as the signature villain Pinhead. “Today I have officially been invited to write the script…” Barker wrote. “What can I tell you about it? Well, it will not be a film awash with CGI. I remain as passionate about the power of practical make-up effects as I was when I wrote and directed the first HELLRAISER. Of course the best make-up in the world loses force if […]